Start 2012 with BIO – in Osaka!

On January 31st, the BIO Asia International Conference will commence its ninth year! What’s something new about the conference? It’s moved! Originally, BIO Asia was hosted in Tokyo, but the event has relocated for the first time and will now be held in Osaka, Japan. We’re very excited about being in this city, which is Japan’s third largest, and is well-known for being an economic powerhouse for the country. People are friendly, the culture is rich, and there is a big mix of interesting companies, small and large, who call Osaka their home.

What else is of note in Osaka? Apparently, it’s a big food city, – and not just instant noodles, or ‘Chicken Ramen’, which was actually invented in Osaka. (Brand-New Osaka.) Some popular dishes you’ll find include Battera (バッテラ), a “block type sushi”, Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き), fried cabbage cakes that look like “a pancake, pizza, and omelette” in one, Takoyaki (たこ焼き), and Kushikatsu (串かつ) (WikiTravel.org). The event itself will be at the Ritz-Carlton, which is located in the Nishi-Umeda business and shopping district. Fun fact: Osaka is home to one of the world’s largest aquariums, “with 11,000 tons of water and plenty of sharks
(including a whale shark), dolphins, otters, seals, and other sea creatures.” The largest tank is meant to represent the Pacific Ocean and contains 5,400 tons of water.